The Reckless Way of Love

Notes on Following Jesus

How do you follow Jesus without burning out? In this guidebook Dorothy Day offers hard-earned wisdom and practical advice gained through decades of seeking to know Jesus and to follow his example and teachings in her own life.

About The Book

In this guidebook Dorothy Day offers hard-earned wisdom and practical advice gained through decades of seeking to know Jesus and to follow his example and teachings in her own life.

Unlike larger collections and biographies, which cover her radical views, exceptional deeds, and amazing life story, this book focuses on a more personal dimension of her life: Where did she receive strength to stay true to her God-given calling despite her own doubts and inadequacies and the demands of an activist life? What was the unquenchable wellspring of her deep faith and her love for humanity?

About The Author

Acclaim

‘I do not need to retire to my room to pray,’ [Dorothy Day] writes. ‘It is enough to get out and walk in the wilderness of the streets.’ Walking in the wilderness of the streets is something I can do, situated as I am in a city where need and injustice abounds. As D. L. Mayfield explains in the introduction, Day was no saint: she was ‘an ordinary person simply trying to walk the road of following Christ’. This is precisely why her reflections on following Jesus are worthy of study.

Elizabeth Palmer, Christian Century

Saints are not like the rest of us, but the Dorothy Day in these pages is. Her reflections leave one wondering whether what made her so fascinating was that she took the simple teaching of her faith at face value and to heart.

Library Journal

If you have any degree of devotion to, affection for, or interest in Dorothy Day, The Reckless Way of Love is a must-have addition to your library. The selections are carefully, even prayerfully chosen and meticulously organized.

Mark Gordon, The Dorothy Option, Patheos.com

In his speech to Congress during his 2015 visit to the United States, Pope Francis held up Dorothy Day as an example of the selflessness needed today, saying, ‘Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed were inspired by the gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.’ In The Reckless Way of Love, a compilation of her writings, Day expounds on the driving force behind this love of service: her persistent faith in God.

Our Sunday Visitor

This thoughtful collection of Day’s reflections incorporates abundant material for contemplation, all drawn from her extensive writings … [which] reveal Day’s signature honesty and frequent humor in addressing her hopes and fears and the sources of her inspiration.…This welcome compilation provides a window into the fundamental beliefs that undergirded Day’s life of faith.

Reading Dorothy Day gives me hope that ordinary Christians with all our flaws and struggles may yet walk the ways of faith, hope, and love, offering something beautiful for God and to the world.

Bob Trube

On the back cover, The Reckless Way of Love is described as a guidebook. Very fitting. Dorothy Day’s heart is transparent, her wording is simple, and her core message is clear – “…the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”Read More

Review of The Reckless Way of Love

On the back cover, The Reckless Way of Love is described as a guidebook. Very fitting. Dorothy Day’s heart is transparent, her wording is simple, and her core message is clear – “…the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”

Cheryl Hart

Cheryl Hart

The last two books Plough sent to me for review are collections of writings by two very unusual but passionate Catholics, the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins (English, 1844-1889) and the unsinkable Dorothy Day (American, 1897-1980). . . . Dorothy...Read More

Review of The Reckless Way of Love

The last two books Plough sent to me for review are collections of writings by two very unusual but passionate Catholics, the Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins (English, 1844-1889) and the unsinkable Dorothy Day (American, 1897-1980). . . . Dorothy Day’s life-long advocacy of the poor and downtrodden in her Catholic Worker Movement, when combined with a life of ascetic simplicity, puts her at the center of Plough’s wheelhouse. The reader can, of course, expect selections which match the publisher’s priorities. Nonetheless, we have here a collection of considerable interest to Catholics. . . . It is relevant, I am quite sure, that both of these powerfully Catholic figures had their share of interior discouragement. Their dark nights were not as severe as Mother Teresa’s, but they were enough to prompt impressive spiritual growth, learning to love not the consolations God sends, but God Himself. We should be thankful that Plough has transplanted into its own garden such exotic yet incomparably hardy Catholic blooms!

Dr. Jeffrey Mirus, CatholicCulture.org

Dr. Jeffrey Mirus, CatholicCulture.org

Day's writings are normally scattered across a number of publications. That makes the accessibility of this collection even more significant. Day's vision of Christian simplicity is a vision that needs a wider sharing. And Plough has given the...Read More

Review of The Reckless Way of Love

Day's writings are normally scattered across a number of publications. That makes the accessibility of this collection even more significant. Day's vision of Christian simplicity is a vision that needs a wider sharing. And Plough has given the Church a beautiful gift in this little collection, so that that voice may be widely heard.

Reverend Julius McCarter

Reverend Julius McCarter

This is a complete contradiction in terms. To try to imitate Jesus is the worst block to asking Jesus to take over and do it, as He promised. Someone is NOT reading their New Testament. Too bad. Missed the message.